Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 August 2011
Although highly magnetostrictive thin films of Terfenol-D have been produced by a variety of methods, high-quality thick films have proved to be far more challenging to produce. To date, thick film processes have resulted in nanoparticulate films that contain significant porosity that reduces stiffness and results in oxidation and poor magnetostrictive performance. With the goal of understanding microstructural and compositional factors that affect performance, nanoparticulate Terfenol-D thick films were produced by laser ablation of microparticle aerosols combined with supersonic impaction. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photon spectroscopy, and magnetic measurements were performed on nanoparticles and on films as-deposited and after annealing in vacuum or in a reducing atmosphere. These measurements show that segregation occurs during oxidation of the films, prior to annealing, and results in films with poor magnetostriction. The segregation persists during annealing with no visible changes to the morphology or density of the nanoparticulate films exposed to temperatures as high as 800 °C. These results suggest that oxidation and segregation must be avoided to produce highly magnetostrictive thick films.